Ballot member for vote-registering machines.



D. L. NEWGOMR BALLOT MEMBER FOR VOTE REGISTERING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED I'EB.23, 1901. RENEWED SEPT. 6, 1904.

A 4 f I M J T Z w @MA E F56 =9 witnesses L Inventor ANDREW. a. GRAHAM00,, mom-umaumPglERs. WAsmNGTon. n. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID L. NEWCOMB, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIF ORNIA.,

BALLOT MEMBER FOR VOTE-REGISTERING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

Application filed February 23, 1901. Renewed September 6. 1904. SerialNo. 223,497.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID L. NEwooMB, a citizen of the United States,residing in San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State ofCalifornia, (whose post-office address is No. 325 National avenue, SanDiego, California,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBallot Members for Vote-Registering Machines, of which the following isa specification.

My present invention is directed to im provements in ballot members forvote-registering machine described in my application for patent of theUnited States on vote-registering machine filed October 1, 1900, SerialNo. 81,705, and allowed March 5, 1901.

An object of my invention is to produce a ballot member forvote-registering machines simple in construction and upon which thenames of all the candidates of each opposing party can be presented tothe voter for his se-" lection and means by which the voter is enabledto indicate his choice of candidate from any or all the parties thereonpresented and are to be elected.

mechanism, and movable tappet-seat clo- The ballot member comprises abase-plate with a series of parallel ways in this embodiment comprisingshallow parallel disconnected channels formed on one of its faces. Atintervals perforations are made through said plate in said channels,which perforations form tappet-seats. A tappet is furnished to seat insaid tappet-seat to actuate registering sures are provided and put insaid channel, and means for retammg and movmg sa1d tappet-seat closures1n sa1d channels, so as to temporarily close all remaining tappet-seatsallotted to opposing candidates after the voter has inserted a tappetinto the tappetseat assigned to the candidate of his choice.

No attempt will be made herein to illustrate the various ways in whichmy invention can be carried out.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in its preferredform.

Figure I is a perspective view of my newlyimproved ballot member withportions of the face-plates broken away, showing the perforatedbase-plate and channeltappet-seat closurein the channel and dotted linesindicating division-stops. Fig. II is a cross-section on line A B,showing grooves for the transverse dividing-stops. Fig. III is acrosssection on line plate.

d indicates T-shaped tappet-seat closure.

01 indicates tappet-seat closure placed in channel.

6 indicates transverse groove.

e indicates division-stop inserted in transverse groove.

f indicates rib on T-shaped tappet-seat closure.

g indicates longitudinal slot between perforated plates.

it indicates plates attached to the edges of the ballot member to keepclosures in channel.

'i indicates tappet.

t" indicates tappet seated in tappet-seat.

3' indicates tappet-seat.

it indicates screws to fasten plates to ballot member.

The tappet-seat closure (1 in shape resembles an inverted T, the baseforming a flange on either side of a rib f and are retained in saidchannel a by means of plates I), extending parallel with said channeland attached to said ballot member preferably by screws. The plates 1)are somewhat less in width than the space between each row oftappet-seatclosure ribs, thus leaving a longitudinal slot 9 between eachpair of plates, through which the rib f of the T-shaped closures projectabove said plates, and by means of this projecting rib the voter isenabled to move the its surface, forming a slight raised bead whichprevents names, numbers, or marks being accidentally erased from thesurface of the plates while the closures are being moved by the voter.

The tappets may be variously constructed. In the preferred form the tappet i is a doublepointed or compound pin with a collar in the centerwhich forms a head for either end, and each end is the same size andlength, and the tappet-seats are preferably formed by perforationsthrough the ballot member.

The dividing-stop a may be variously constructed. In the preferred formthe stops are wires of suitable size and are arrange transverselybetween the tappetseats by removing one of the perforated plates at oneedge of the ballot member and inserting the dividing-stop in the groove6.

To arrange the ballot member for an election, it will be necessary toseparate the tappet-seats in the channels into spaces. The number oftappet-seats in each space must be equal or greater than the number ofopposing political parties for which the ballot member is beingarranged. This is done by means of the movable transverse dividing-stop.For example, in five opposing candidates seeking the same office adivision-stop will be inserted between the fifth and sixth tappetseats,in which case four tappet-seat closures will be required, leaving onetappet-seat open into which the voter after making choice of candidatesby moving the closures will insert a tappet, the remaining fourtappet-seats being securely closed up by the closures. If two or morecandidates are to be elected to the same office, a corresponding numberof closures are left out.'

Plates h are fastened to the edges of the ballot member at right anglesto the channels to close the outlet and to keep the closures in thechannel.

In practice the ballot member will be furnished with any desired numberof tappetseats in each channel, any desired number of tappets, and anydesired number of tappetseat closures.

The ballot member will be furnished with the names of the differentcandidates arranged, respectively, at the tappet seats. Preferably thisis accomplished by furnishing for the ballot member a paper ticketprinted to correspond with the tappet-seats, names, marks, or numbersbeing applied to indicate the names and offices of the candidates whichare allotted for said tappet-seats, respectively.

WVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. A ballot member for vote-registering machine comprising a base-plateprovided with a plurality of parallel disconnected channels; a pluralityof rows of perforations through said plate in the bottom of saidchannel, said perforations forming tappet-seats;

a tappet to seat in said seat to actuate registering mechanism; a tappetseat closure placed in said channel and means for m ovin and adjustingsaid tappet-seat closures so as to temporarily close all remainingtappetseats after the voter has seated a tappet into the tappet-seatassigned to the candidate of his choice, substantially as described.

2. A ballot member for vote-registering machine comprising a base-plateprovided with a plurality of parallel disconnected channels; a pluralityof rows of perforations through said plate in the bottom of saidchannel; said perforations forming tappet-seats; a tappet to seat insaid seat to actuate registering mechanism; a tappet-seat closure placedin said channel; a face-plate perforated near one edge, secured to thechanneled face of the ballot member, said perforation so formed as toregister with the tappet-seats in said ballot member, substantially asde scribed.

3. In a ballot member for vote-registering machine comprising abase-plate, furnished with a tappet-seat; a tappet to seat in said seatto actuate registering mechanism; afaceplate perforated near one of itsedges and secured to the ballot member, said. perforations placed sothey register with the tappet-seats in said ballot men'iber, theopposite edge of said face-plate raised at right angles to its surface,substantially as described.

t. In a ballot member for vote-registering machine comprising abase-plate provided with a plulality of parallel disconnected channels;a plurality of perforations through said plate in the bottom of saidchannel, said perforations forming tappet-seats; a tappet to seat insaid seat; a tappet-seat closure placed in said channel and a transversegroove and dividing-stop, substantially as described.

5. In a ballot member for vote-registering machine comprising abase-plate provided with a plurality of parallel disconnected channels;a plurality of rows of perforations formed through said plate in thebottom of said channel; said perforations forming tappet-seats, a tappetto seat in said seat; a tappet-seat closure placed in said channel and aplate secured to the edges of said ballot member, at right angle withsaid channels to keep said closure in place, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

6. A ballot member for voteregistering machine furnished with a seriesof parallel channels, the floors of which channels are perforated.

7. A ballot member for vote-registering machine furnished with a seriesof channels, the floors of which are perforated, said perforationsforming tappet-seats and a tappet to seat in said. seats.

8. A ballot member, for vote-registering machine furnished with a seriesof channels, the floors of which channels are perforated,

said perforations forming tappet-seats and a movable tappet-seat closureplaced in said channel.

9. A ballot member, for vote-registering machine furnished with a seriesof channels, the floors or walls of which are perforated, saidperforations forming tappet-seats, a tappet to seat in said seats toactuate registering mechanism, an inverted-T-shaped tappet-seat closureto temporarily close said tappet-seats and a plate perforated near oneof its edges, its opposite edge raised at a right angle to its surface,substantially as described.

10. A ballot member, for a vote-registering machine furnished with aseries of channels, the floors of which are perforated, saidperforations forming tappet-seats, a movable T- shaped tappet-seatclosure in said channel; said member being also furnished with atransverse groove and movable division-stop to divide the channels intospaces, substantially as described.

11. A ballot member, for vote-registering machine furnished with aseries of channels, the floors of which are perforated; saidperforations forming tappet-seats, an inverted-T- shaped tappet-seatclosure placed in said channel, and plates attached to the edges of saidballot member and at a right angle to said channels to keep said closurein said channel, substantially as described.

12. A channeled ballot member having perforations and cross-channels;and tappets formed with intermediate shoulders;

13. A ballot member comprising a baseplate having suitable parallelways, tappetseats formed adjacent said ways,tappetseat closures slidablealong said ways and suitable tappets for the tappet-seats, a tappet-seatclosure preventing the seating of a tappet when in a definitetappet-seat.

14. A ballot member comprising a baseplate having parallel ways havingperforations definitely spaced apart, thereby forming tappet-seats,suitable tappets for the tappet-seats,tappet-seat closures slidablymounted on said ways and adapted to obstruct the perforations to preventthe insertion of a tappet in a seat.

A ballot member comprising a baseplate having suitable parallel ways,tappetseats formed adjacent said ways, tappet-seat closures slidablealong said ways and suitable tappets for the tappet-seats, a tappet-seatclosure preventing the seating of a tappet when in a definite positionrelatively to the tappet-seat, and plates attached to the edges of thebase-plate at right anglesto the ways to keep the closures on the ways.

16. A ballot member comprising a perforated plate and means forobstructing the perforations in said plate.

17. A ballot member comprising a plate furnished with seats and meansfor closing said seats.

18. A ballot member comprising a plate furnished with seats, a movableclosurefor said seats, and a guide for directing the movement of saidclosure.

19. A ballot member comprising a plate position relatively to thefurnished with seats, a movable closure for said seats, a guide fordirecting the movement of said closure, and a member adapted to beseated in said seats when uncovered to actuate registering mechanism.

DAVID L. NEWCOMB. Witnesses R. P. EARLE, L. RUMsEY.

